River Hawks Fall to Vermont In Season Finale

Tuesday, November 3

Lowell, Mass.

6PM

University of Massachusetts Lowell

5-7-3, 1-5-1

Vermont

10-2-4, 4-1-2

Team	1	2	Final F
Vermont	1	3	4
UMass Lowell	0	3	3

11/3/2026 10:39:00 PM | Men's Soccer

Box Score

LOWELL, Mass. – Junior Santiago Somorrostro (Nashua, N.H.) led the team with three points, as the UMass Lowell men's soccer team (5-7-3, 1-5-1 AE) fell to the Vermont Catamounts (10-2-4, 4-1-2 AE), 4-3, in a back-and-forth battle in the season finale.

"I couldn't be prouder of our guys and the fight they showed tonight," said Head Coach Kyle Zenoni. "They left everything on the field, and unfortunately, we came up just short. Conceding three goals from set pieces is difficult to accept, especially in a game where our players gave so much. But I couldn't ask for more in terms of their effort, commitment, and desire to compete. I especially want to thank our senior class. They have meant so much to this program and have represented UMass Lowell with pride, both on the field and in the classroom. I'm incredibly grateful for everything they've given to this university and our program. This season presented us with a tremendous amount of adversity, but I believe those challenges will make us stronger moving forward. We will reflect, learn, and continue building toward the standard we expect from this program. I firmly believe our future is bright. Lastly, I want to thank my coaching staff for their tireless work, dedication, and commitment throughout the season. Their efforts behind the scenes often go unnoticed, and I'm extremely grateful to have them alongside me. We will come back stronger, better prepared, and hungry to take this program forward.

Somorrostro, who finished the night with a goal and an assist, was one of five River Hawks to record at least a point in the contest. Juniors Marinho Oldenburg (Utrecht, Netherlands) and Justin Godbout-Garon (Québec City, Quebec) each scored a goal, while seniors Linus Musielak (Dortmund, Germany) and Alex Champagne (Pembroke Pines, Fl.) each tallied an assist. In net, junior Eijin Magota (Tokyo, Japan) made four saves in 90 minutes of action.

Vermont opened the scoring early, finding the back of the net in the second minute to take a 1-0 advantage. The River Hawks, however, proved to be up to the challenge quickly, as Somorrostro registered his first shot of the contest moments later while Magota made a pair of saves to keep the score the same. In the 20^th minute, the hosts nearly found the equalizer, as Musielak fired a shot attempt over the diving keeper, but the ball just clipped off the crossbar.

Continuing to pepper the Catamount's defense with shots the River Hawks added three straight shots over the next seven minutes of the contest. Although the opposition fired off a pair of shots in retaliation, UMass Lowell nearly evened the score in the 43^rd minute. Pushing the ball down the pitch, the River Hawks sent a crosser high into the box, lined up perfectly for sophomore Maxim Makar (Nashua, N.H.), who promptly headed it towards the bottom left corner of the goal, but a remarkable save by Vermont's goalie kept it a 1-0 game heading into halftime.

UMass Lowell came out hot to start the second half, as only three minutes in, the hosts capitalized on a corner as Somorrostro kicked the ball right in front of the net, setting up a leaping Oldenburg who headed the ball into the back of the net, tying the match up at 1-1. Following the goal, a red card for the Catamounts swung momentum fully in the River Hawks' favor, which they capitalized on only minutes later. In the 54^th minute, Musielak, who was positioned on the left side of the box, threaded a pass between five defenders towards Somorrostro. With the ball only a few feet in front of the net, the junior raced in and made a sliding kick, sending the ball past the keeper to give UMass Lowell a 2-1 lead. Vermont, though, answered with a pair of goals over the next two minutes to make it a 3-2 game.

Refusing to back down with a playoff berth on the line, the hosts continued to control possession as they looked to find their third goal of the night. In the 77^th minute, they did just that, as Champagne made a short pass to Godbout-Garon, who laced a shot from beyond the box into the back right of the net, past the outstretched hands of the diving keeper. The Catamounts, however, scored in the 84^th minute, sealing the 4-3 final score.